Tooth powder dispenser



H. B. sl-:ELEY

TOOTH POWDER DI SPENSER Filed July 14, 1954 May 28, 1935.

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5 TE m5 v W m R n T R E B n H ATTORNEY Patented May 28, 1935 N UNITED :STATES PATENT `OFFICE: 'Y

2,003,093 TOOTH POWDER DISPENSER Hverbert Barnum Seeley, New York, N. Y.

Application July 14, 1934, Serial No. 735,093

12 claims. (61.2'21-62) l extremely simple in construction and operation;

and which may be incorporated in a container Without adding materially to the cost of the production. l v

A further object of this invention is to incorporate within the container and in operative`connection with the valve a means of agitating the powder contents so as to insure free flowing thereof when the Valve is opened.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a removable bottom compartment which is carried by the container and which houses the valve operating means and accommodates and guides the head of the brush when the latterfis inserted to open the valve and receive a charge of powder.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide means which yieldably holds the valve, in a container of this character, in normally closed position and in its movements with the valve to open and closed positions thereof to agitate the powder and cause it to be brought into position for discharge through the valve when open'.

I accomplish these objects by means of the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustratively exemplied in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my improved powder dispenser, showing parts broken 40 away to disclose otherwise hidden parts;

Figure 2 is a substantially transverse sectional view taken on lines 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged substantially longitudinal sectional view of the dispenser taken on lines 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is an enlarged substantially longitudinal sectional view taken on lines 4--4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional View of the lower portion of the dispenser showing .abmodied construction for the valve arrangement; and

Figure 6 is a sectional View of a dispenser for general use, and of a large size requiring guiding means for the tooth brush in order to locate it directly beneaththe openings in the valve.

Briefly, the present invention consists of a cylindrical container for tooth powder having openings in its under or bottom portion and a valve to control the openings. A housing is detachably mounted on the bottom of the container to enclose a depending portion of the valve. An opening is provided in the side of the housing to accommodate the head of a tooth brush which may be inserted, with its bristles upturned, and pushed against the depending portion of the valve to uncover the openings in the bottom of the container and allow the powder therein to fall directly upon the bristles of the brush. The spring used to closethe valve when the brush is withdrawn projects upwardly in the container and into the powder which is agitated every time the spring is depressed and released in the operation of the valve.

Referring to the drawing, I0 denotes a container consisting of a tubular sheet metal side wall and a cover yII permanently aixed to the upper end. The tubular wall short oi.' its lower open end is provided with an annular'outwardly projecting bead I2. 'Ihe bottom end oi the container is closed by a bottom I3 having an upstanding annular wall to closely embrace the portion of the container below the bead I2. The bottom I3 is provided with a diametrically disposed slot I4 terminating at its outer end just short of the periphery and at its inner end at a point just beyond the center of the bottom. The portion of the material having the slot I4 is depressed entirely across-the bottom to form a channel I5. 'I'he bottom I3 is covered by a second base member I6 which covers the channel I5 and is provided with a series of three slots I'I, disposed diametrically of the base, two of the slots being in register with the slot I4 while the third slot, designated I'Ia, is disposed underthe material of the rst bottom I3 beyond the inner end of slot I4, as illustrated in Figure 4.

Mounted to slide freely in the channel I5 is a slide valve I8 comprising an L-shaped strip of metal, the longer and horizontal arm o1' which is disposed in the channel and providedwith slots I9 spaced to register with slots I'I in the base I6, the material cut' to form the slots I9 vbeing bent upright to form tabs 20. 'Ihe inner tab 20 has an opening to receive the upturned end of one arm of an inverted U-shaped spring and agitator 2|, the other arm thereof being hooked in an opening in a ixed upright tab 22 formed by turning upwardly a portion of the material cut for the slot I4 in the bottom I3. 'I'he tendency of the spring member 2| is to spread its arms and yieldably hold the valve I8 so that its openings I9 are out of register with the corresponding openings I1 in the second bottom or base I6. The shorter arm of theA valve slide I8 projects downwardly through the slot Ila and is provided with inwardly cu'rved side wings 23 and a depending tab 24. The normal closed position of the valve brings the depending arm against the inner end of the Islot I1a and when the latter arm is projected against the outer end of the slot I1a the slots I1 andv I9 are brought into register.

Removably applied to the lower end of the con-A tainer III` is a cup shaped bottom receptacle which is spun from a single sheet of metal and which is adapted to slide at its open end over the side wall of the base member I6, while 'its closed end or bottom is spaced considerably below the base I6 to form a compartment, housing the depending arm of the valve I8. The side wall lof the bottom 25 is provided with an upright opening or doorway 26 disposed in line with the movement of the valve and opposite the depending' arm thereof.

In operation the container, which is full of powder, is placed upright upon the bottom receptacle member 25, and therhead of the tooth brush to be powdered is inserted into the doorway 26 with the bristles turned upwardly and the end of the head is pushed against the depending arm of the valve. I8.` The arm and valve I8 yield to the pressure of the brush andmove outwardly until the slots I1 and I9- register, allowing a charge` of powder to tall directly uponthe upturned bristles. Withdrawal of the brush allows the spring agitator 2I to return the valve to closed position, the movement of the arms of the spring 2| through the powder being utilized to keep the same loosened up and in a freely flowing condition.

, Referring now to Figure 5, the spring agitator and the base member have been omitted, the lower end of the container I0 being provided with a bottom 21 having spaced alined openings 28 and a cup shaped bottom receptacle 23 fitted inside a depending skirt of the bottom 21. A valve strip 30, provided with openings 3| coinciding with the openings 28 of the bottom 21, when in an open position, is supported below bottom 21 as by a pair of rivets 32a which may be arranged on both sides of openings 3|. 'I'he upper portion of each rivet may be seated in a cylindrical hole in bottom 21, while the lower portion of the rivet may pass through a slot in valve strip 30, so that the latter may slide back and forth without being separated from bottom 21. The valve is normally in closed position by a depending spring loop 32, which tends to project the outer end of the valve outwardly. The door or opening' 33 in the side wall of the receptacle 29 is disposed directly opposite the depending loop 32 so that the head of the tooth brush may be inserted and brought into contact with the loop which yields and draws the valve portion into position to register the openings 28 Vand 3|.

In thelarger type of dispenser, illustratively exemplified in Figure 6, it would be difficult to aline the brush with the valve openings while pushing the brush inwardly against the depending valve arm, and in order to facilitate the operation the bottom wall ot the bottom receptacle 25-29 is cut and turned up to providea channel or guide 34 for the head of the brush to slide into while being projected against the valve to open it.

It is important to note, in 'connection with the various forms of the invention illustrated and described, that in each container the only part which may be removed by the user is the lower bottom member 25-29, the removal being effected for the purpose of cleaning it and recovering any powder which may not have fallen directly upon the brush. l

Having now described my invention and the manner in which the same is operated, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a container, a valve arrangement disposed in the bottom and provided with a spring to bias the valve to closed position and means for operating said valve projecting below the container, and a bottom receptacle detachably carried by the container to house the operating means of the valve and to receive a tooth brush being directed against said means to open the valve and cause the powder in the container to deposit directly upon the brush, said bottom receptacle being removable from said container independently of said valve.

2. A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a container having a 'double bottom provided with openings through which the powder is discharged and-a channel embracing the openings, a slide valve in said channel provided .with openings to be brought into register with the openings in the bottom, and a depending portion projecting below the bottom of the container, spring means for biasing said valve to closed position and a bottom receptacle detachably mounted on the container to house the depending portion of the valve and to receive a brush being directed against the depending portion to open the valve and cause powder in the container to fall directly upon the lbrush, said bottom receptacle being removable from said container independently of said valve.

3. A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a' container having a double bottom provided with openings through which powder in the container is discharged, a slide valve for the openings intermediate said double bottom and having a depending arm projecting downwardly from the bottom and upstanding parts projecting upwardly into the container, a spring engaged with a portion o! the bottom and said upstanding parts of the valve to normally hold the valve in closed position, said spring being arranged within the container to agitate the powder when the valve is operated, and a bottom receptacle detachably carried by the container to house the depending arm of the valve and receive a brush being direct- ,ed against the arm to open the valve and cause powder to be discharged directly upon the brush.

4. A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a container for powder, a valve operating in the bottom of the container to discharge powder directly upon a brush brought into contact with the valve to open the same, and a spring projecting into the container and having an operative connection with the valve to normally close the same, said spring being adapted to agitate the powder in the container during movement thereof with the valve to open and closed positions.

5. A tooth powder dispenser, as claimed in claim 4, including a detachable bottom housing carried by the container to receive the brush and guide it in its movement to contact and open the valve. l

6. A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a container having a double bottom provided with openings and a channel embracing the openings, a slide valve arranged in the channel and provided with openings to register with the bottom openings, and a depending arm projecting below the bottom, an inverted U-shaped spring having aooaoos ends engaging the container and slide valve, respectively, to normally hold the latter in closed position with respect to the openings in the bottom, the spring being disposed inside the container to agitate the powder with each movement of the valve, a removable bottom receptacle for the lower end of the container housing the depending arm of the valve and having an opening in its side to admit a tooth brush which is pushed against the arm to open the valve and in direct position to catch the powder being dropped through the openings in the bottom of the container.

7. A tooth powder dispenser, as claimed in claim 6, in which the bottom of the container and the slide valve are provided with upstanding portions to be attached to the ends of the U-shaped spring.

8. A tooth powder dispenser, as claimed in claim 6, in which the bottom receptacle is provided with guides between which the brush is inserted to insure its position beneath the openings discharging the powder.

9. A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a container, a valve arrangement disposed in the bottom and provided with means for operating it projecting below the container and a bottom receptacle detachably carried by the container to house the operating means of the valve and to receive a tooth brush which is directed against said means to open the valve and cause the powder in the container to deposit directly upon the brush, said means projecting below the container comprising a spring loop of the material forming the valve, said spring loop being adapted to collapse when engaged by the brush to open the valve and to expand when the brush is withdrawn to close the valve.

10. .A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a container having a normally closed valve at the bottom to open and allow powder to discharge directly upon a brush brought into engagement with the valve, and means moving with the valve and being arranged within the container to agitate the powder through which it moves, said means comprising a looped spring member connected to said container and valve and normally holding said valve in y closed position.

11. A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a container for powder, a valve operating in the bottom of the container to discharge powder directly upon a brush brought into contact with the valve to open the same, and a looped spring member Y projecting into the container and connected to` said valve and container for releasably holding the valve in closed position and for agitating the powder in the container when the valve is moved to open and closed positions.

12. A tooth powder dispenser, comprising a container for powder, a valve operating in the bottom of the container to discharge powder directly upon a brush brought into contact with the valve to open the same, and an inverted U-shaped spring member projecting into the container for releasably holding the valve in closed position and for agitating the powder in the container when the valve is moved to open and closed positions.

HERBERT BARNUM SEELEY. 

